A PAIR OF KINGS: Kodak and IFP/Chicago Team Up
On December 14, Kodak and IFP/Chicago paired up to present a screening of Peter Reigert’s debut feature “King of the Corner,” an independent film shot on 16mm, using Kodak’s new Vision2 stocks, and blown up to 35mm for projection. Before the screening, Kodak showed a pair of demo reels for their new 5205 250D film stock. The first, was shot on 35mm by Allen Daviau, ASC and featured his commentary along with exposure and stock comparisons. The second, was shot on 16mm in Scotland and featured commentary by cinematographer Bella Halben and director Liam Hall.
“King of the Corner” was shot roughly a year ago on the East Coast, over the course of 20 days. The story concerns a middle-aged advertising professional (played by Reigert), who has to cope with his father’s death, a younger co-worker and his daughter’s boyfriend, among other crises. It’s based on “Bad Jews and Other Stories,” a collection of short stories by University of Nebraska – Lincoln professor Gerald Shapiro. The budget was $400,000, with another $150,000 required to get it to print. “Kodak wants to show people that, for not much more, you can shoot film instead of tape, which was my preference,” said Reigert in a post-screening Q & A.
In addition to their new stocks, Kodak is also featuring the Look Manager, a software-based system that allows cinematographers to more accurately communicate the look of a project that originates on film. According to Kodak’s Peter Postma, Look Manager underwent extensive real-world testing before it was released. He says the DPs who checked it out “all saw the need for it, especially as things are drifting towards digital dailies and digital intermediaries.” Postma says speed is another benefit of the Look Manager, citing a beta test shot by Steven Poster, ASC, and a set of images that were sent to the colorist as a guide. “Without the DP and the colorist even being in the same room together, they were able to do the first pass,” says Postma. Look Manager debuted at NAB 2004 and is available now.
